Q: I am a federal employee with 10 years active-duty time that I have almost finished buying back. I am also in the National Guard and I have just been offered a full-time Active Guard reserve position. Since I will leave federal service to return to active duty (Guard), can I get the money back that I have contributed to buying back my
active-duty time?
A: You can get a refund of your military deposit only if you: 1) resign from the government before you are eligible to retire and 2) receive a refund of all your contributions to the retirement fund, both the military deposit and any retirement deductions taken from your civilian pay.